Local recruiting expert uses AI ‘digital twin’ to help job seekers prepare for interviews

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WWAY) — As students return to the University of North Carolina Wilmington and prepare for life after college, a local recruiting expert is using artificial intelligence to help job seekers sharpen their interview skills.

Tom Ryder, president of talent recruiting company Target Solutions and creator of AskTomRyder.com, has developed an AI “digital twin” of himself that draws on his more than 30 years of recruiting experience.

“Hey, I’m Coach Tom, the digital version of Tom Ryder, shaped by over 30 years of helping folks land great jobs through smart interviewing,” the AI agent says in its introduction.

Ryder said the idea is to give job seekers a way to practice interviewing whenever they want, particularly for people who may feel uncomfortable rehearsing with someone else.

“My dad always used to say, ‘hey, let’s practice interviewing.’ I always felt so uncomfortable doing that,” Ryder said.

The AI agent can conduct mock interviews, provide feedback and allow users to practice their responses repeatedly. Ryder said the goal is to help users become more confident and comfortable before sitting down for an actual interview.

“My digital twin will say, ‘hey, you did that really well but here’s where you can improve, in this area and this area and this area, try it again.’ And then you practice it again and you can do whenever you want to with the goal of getting the reps in, practicing over and over so when you get into that interview, everything flows naturally,” Ryder said.

Ryder said job candidates should keep several things in mind before walking into an interview, including maintaining a positive attitude, understanding the position and connecting their experience directly to the job.

Ryder’s AI interview agent is available for free through AskTomRyder.com.